I guess I could've my comments elsewhere, but since I got the recipe from earlier on in this thread, I figured it was appropriate to put here. Your correct, I didn't do a 2nd layer of dough, which is consistent with the recipe. I guess the debate can go on how to classify this, but for the record, I never used the term 'stuffed', just deep dish. What I know is that it was a good pie and I'd do it again. Just one man's opinion

Hi folks,I justed wanted to say thanks too you all for your discussion on how to make a giordanos pie.I finally took a foray into pizza making and tried a couple pies with loowaters dough recipe posted earlier in this thread

anyhow, I prepared the dough in my kitchenaid mixer with the paddle attachment mixing at low speed starting with warm water, then yeast, then salt, then oils, and then slowly added the flour (KA-AP). Once the dough was combined i switched to the hook attachment and kneaded for ~2minutes and set the dough in a bowl to ferment in the fridge for ~30 hours. Before assembling the pie I brushed the pizza ban with melted butter. I used about 2/3 of the dough for the bottom skin and 1/3 for the top, the filling was aout 8oz whole milk mozzerella, 10 oz skim mozzerella, 10 oz sweet italian sausage. I wanted a somewhat chunky sauce for the pie so i strained 2 cans of peeled diced tomatoes, and crushed by fork and mixed in italian herbs and a couple cloves of crushed garlic and topped with some parmasean. I cooked the pie on a pizza stone in a 450F preheated oven. It came out delicious.

One question I have is whether folks typically use vegetable oil or shortening in their doughs...The dough I made using the shortening definately had a bit more stretchiness too it (although I may have not controlled the mixing/gluten formation adequately between the dough with oil vs the one with shortening).

Thanks, and I look forward to learning more about pizza from the forum.

No, Peter, I can't recall I've seen all those old postings and am incredibly surprised that there was ever a doubt or question in regard the second dough layer. It is "stuffed" pizza because . . . . it is "stuffed" between two layers of dough, both top and bottom. And in this particular thread, at least lately, it seems most or all had presumed such, but you never know I guess. Buzz is a good guy, but must have had one of those "senior moments" back then (I have many, too). But Buzz likes their thin crust more so than their stuffed pizza and I just wonder if he wasn't talking about that back then.

As I and others have shown in other postings, here's a photo that I took at Giordano's a year or two ago showing the second (top) layer of dough as they put it on before the tomato sauce (notice the holes that are made in the top crust to allow for heat/steam to exhaust). This is the same as the "stuffed" pizza made at their very first restaurant on California Ave. in Chicago that I first visited "umpteen" years ago. Great pizza and I'm "hankering" for some more.

But to set the record straight, ALL the classic "stuffed" deep dish pizzerias that came out of Chicago (i.e., Giordano's, Edwardo's, Nancy's, Bacino's, and many others whose name I can't recall at the moment) had two layers of dough skin into or between which all the cheese and other "toppings" were put -- with the tomato sauce placed on top of the second dough layer. "There ain't no 2 ways about it." Some of this was slightly varied, of course, depending on different kinds of pizza pies that were ordered.

Now regular kind of deep dish pizza is . . . a different story. Giordano's did not and does not make such style pizza.

--BTB

Oddly enough, it's the practice of the second/top layer and under cooking that has me making home made stuffed by omitting the sauce until the last 10 minutes. Undercooked dough gives me the shpilkes.In Chicago, three places overcome the second layer problem(that TOO many think is cheese!)---Beggar's. Durbin's , and Pizza Castle.

Hmm, I read the article and it left me with more questions. The writer describes the Giordanos stuffed pizza as having whole milk mozzerella, high gluten flour, and some kind of shortening in the crust. I am doubtful of the whole milk mozz and the high gluten flour. But is there a chance that Giordanos uses shortening or lard in its dough? Giordanos does not seem to have the high fat, crackeryness that regular deep dish has, so I wonder if the fat content is a lot lower or a different kind of fat is used?

I synthesized many recipes here to get a formulation that seemed right to me (will have to post the recipe later--either tonight or tomorrow), but I wanted to show some pix of how it came out. Thanks to all the good info in this thread and elsewhere!

Some pix:

(1) The dough was a five-day cold ferment. Was beautiful to work with. (2) The spinach started out as a 1 lb bag, which I wilted gently to remove some water. Added sauteed onions and garlic, along with some freshly shredded whole milk mozz. (3) The top crust is on and vented. I baked it like this for the first 20 minutes before ladling on the tomato sauce and finishing it in the oven.(4) The finished pizza, cooling.(5) Inside shot.(6) Another inside shot. It turned out great. I would probably make this again.

I just love seeing everyone's pizza making in action. Here is one I did last night. It is not my first deep dish stuffed pizza but it is my first time using the cast iron skillet. I use buzz's crust recipe. I also cooked it most of the way before topping with sauce. Hope the pictures work.

I synthesized many recipes here to get a formulation that seemed right to me (will have to post the recipe later--either tonight or tomorrow), but I wanted to show some pix of how it came out. Thanks to all the good info in this thread and elsewhere!

Some pix:

(1) The dough was a five-day cold ferment. Was beautiful to work with. (2) The spinach started out as a 1 lb bag, which I wilted gently to remove some water. Added sauteed onions and garlic, along with some freshly shredded whole milk mozz. (3) The top crust is on and vented. I baked it like this for the first 20 minutes before ladling on the tomato sauce and finishing it in the oven.(4) The finished pizza, cooling.(5) Inside shot.(6) Another inside shot. It turned out great. I would probably make this again.

Garvey,

Great looking pizza! Could you post a detailed recipe that you used please?

I have actually never eaten at the Chicago Gios but my borther used to work at one in IL, and the ones in Orlando just don't seem to do it justice. The crust is basically cardboard, they used canned veggies, the sausage tastes like it is cooked frozen and the both the sausage and pep are way over spiced. The only safe toppings are onion, mushroom, and ground beef. Lots of cheesy goodness though. The thin are actually better. I remember back in the day they used to claim they were always tweaking their recipe, but it is so corporate now. If you are in IL and want a great stuffed, try a place called Vita Bella with a couple locations out near Bolingbrook. They fresh cook their ingredients (or they used to anyway). It is what Gios probably used to be before it went corporate.

If you are in IL and want a great stuffed, try a place called Vita Bella with a couple locations out near Bolingbrook. They fresh cook their ingredients (or they used to anyway). It is what Gios probably used to be before it went corporate.

Haven't been back in ages but Nancy's used to be a good stop too. I think they teamed up with Al's Beefs , so you can now get both grooves on at the same time....oh the humanity!

- Stir together ingredients to combine and knead slowly for 90 seconds, max.- Put in fridge for 3-5 day cold ferment. Punch down as needed (e.g., once after 24 hrs)- Put pizza stone on bottom rack and preheat to 450o for one hour.- Prep the filling, sauce, etc.

DAY OF BAKING- Take dough out of fridge 2-3 hrs before using.- If dough hasn't been divided already, divide into two parts: (A) two-thirds of weight and (B) one-third of weight. The heavier ball will be the bottom crust, and the lighter, the top.

FILLING- 16 oz bag of fresh, washed spinach leaves - salt and then wilt in hot pan and then drain/squeeze dry- thinly sliced onion and garlic - salt and then saute briefly salt in hot pan to release some liquid

ASSEMBLY- Grease bottom, not sides, of pan with shortening- Roll out bigger dough ball and then press into pan and all the way up the sides.- Gently press mozz slices into dough and up sides. Overlap slices.- Put wilted spinach and onions and garlic on top of cheese. Spread out evenly.- Sprinkle in the shredded cheese.- Roll out the small dough ball and put on top of pizza. Pinch top and side edges together to seal.- Poke a few holes or cut a few slits in top skin to vent the pizza.- Do not put on the sauce at this time. It will come later.

BAKING - Put the unsauced pizza into the oven, onto the stone, for 20 minutes.- Gently heat sauce in a small saucepan so that it is just about at a simmer, but do not actually simmer it.- Pull pizza from oven and get ready to work quickly as you: (A) ladle on the hot sauce and spread it around and (B) sprinkle with parmesan cheese.- Put pizza back in oven, turn down oven to 400o, and bake for another 18-22 minutes until done- Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

I was in Chicago last weekend. Had Stuffed pies from the downtown Giordanos location on East Lake.

Disgusting.

No flavor to the crust, cheap cheese, sauce was acidic with low flavor. Sausage was pretty wimpy as well.

I never have to go back again. The Giordanos I remember from 20 years ago doesn't exist. Heck, I could make a better pie without even looking at a recipe (and I have).Far better was a nice pie at Bella Bacinos on upper Wacker a few blocks away.